I'll admit it: every time I post a blog about what to eat or not eat, a little voice inside my head says "Who are you to post nutrition tips, you are not skinny!" Of course I know I am not overweight either, but my body bears little resemblance to the size-0 fat-free types you see on TV and in magazines offering diet and fitness tips. Luckily for me (and I hope for you the reader) the louder voice in my subconscious says "You are healthy and you feel good and you have knowledge to share." That voice always wins the day because I really think that what I am learning at IIN can change lives.
I truly believe that WE ARE WHAT WE EAT and I don't mean this in a "moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips" way. I believe (and research supports this to a degree although the field is still young) that food is the most powerful drug on the planet and is capable of both contributing to or preventing cancer, balancing or destroying moods, causing or curing disorders ranging from depression to autism to ADHD, making us more or less fertile, increasing or easing the symptoms of diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia and diabetes; adding or subtracting years from our lives, making our skin glow or wrinkle, completely sapping us of energy or totally invigorating us. Yep, I think food can do all that. If you don't believe me, check out works by renowned wellness expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, an M.D. who has not prescribed a drug in 12 years because he believes food is the answer to most health problems.
So while wanting to be thin may have been my starting point on this journey to better health, it has opened the door to a complex and exciting world of possibility and intrigue. Can the right foods cure mental illness? Can a food allergy cause autism? Can you slow the aging process by eating the right nutrients? Some people think so. I am still learning, but this is what keeps me going. Not fitting into skinny jeans or seeing the right number on the scale. Not anymore at least.
Interestingly, when I ate right for my weight, it always felt like an effort or even a battle at times. Now that I eat right for my health, it comes naturally. When you know the right choice might not just shrink your waist but extend your life, it's a lot easier to reach for the veggies instead of the fries. Once you eat to live better and learn to love the foods that love you back, you actually will end up looking and feeling better than you ever have.
If some of you are thinking "what's the difference?" because you think thin=healthy, think about the book "Skinny Bitch" which immediately became a best-seller due to the title and the fact that Victoria Beckham and other toothpick celebrities were photographed carrying it around like it was a bible (although it was actually a full-length diatribe by two former models on eating animal products). I found it disturbing that so many women seemed drawn to this idea of being "skinny" and therefore better than other women. That being said, I did think it was a great title because if you stopped eating everything the authors tell you not to eat, you probably will be bitchy b/c it's hard to be nice when you are starving!
While I can't prove this, something tells me that the real skinny bitches out there probably aren't that healthy mentally or physically. In fact, studies have shown that people who are overweight can even be healthier than thin people. When you aren't eating much at all, it's just as hard to get the nutrients you need as it is when you are living off junk. For more information on how both overeating and under-eating can affect your moods and destroy your health see books by Julia Ross like "The Mood Cure" or Geneen Roth like "Women, Food and God."
In short, my point is that if you are only watching what you eat because of a desire to be celebrity-skinny, you have a slim chance (pun intended) of seeing the real benefits of a healthy diet, which are more powerful and far-reaching than anything you can find out from a scale.
awesome post, lindsay!
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